The Difference Between Knowledge and Education

As much as we seem to evolve and appear to have an understanding of the difference between 'knowledge' and 'education' there are still too many people, especially managers, who seem to confuse the two and who fail to understand the importance of each. Or, refuse to consider what, when, and where each one has importance.

That's a shame because a manger worth their salt recognizes that the difference is critical to the success of their operation. Like everything, education and knowledge each has a place. Let's start by defining the difference: "...education is a formal process whereas knowledge is an informal experience. Education is acquired through formal institutions like school, colleges and universities, whereas knowledge is gained from the real life experiences. Hence education is a process of gaining knowledge for some useful application whereas knowledge is facts acquired from good education, peers, consultations and extensive reading. Another difference between the two is that education is taught by the teachers to the students while knowledge is gained by itself or is self driven.. (differencebetween.net)

Understanding these differences is crucial to maintaining the bottom line in any operation. Would you want someone on a manufacturing line who understands and has experience with the procedure or someone who read about it in a book? This does not diminish the importance of education; there is a need for education in the right setting. But far too often people will diminish the value of knowledge for education. Manufacturing is a prime example but entrepreneurship is another area where education plays a backseat to knowledge. Just look at the famous entrepreneurs, like Bill Gates, whose contributions came through knowledge rather than formal education.

The moral of this story is embrace the knowledge of your employees. Collectively, their knowledge can change the face of your business and effect your bottom line.